A.R. Gregory Kenyan bird recordings

The A.R. Gregory collection represents one man’s passion for recording the songs and calls of Kenya’s avifauna. For more than 30 years, Roy Gregory amassed over 4000 field recordings of the country’s diverse birdlife. From Emerald Spotted Wood Doves and Crowned Hornbills to Joyful Greenbuls and Beautiful Sunbirds, this collection provides access to the sounds of over 500 species.

The A.R. Gregory collection represents one man’s passion for recording the songs and calls of Kenya’s avifauna. For more than 30 years, Roy Gregory amassed over 4000 field recordings of the country’s diverse birdlife. From Emerald Spotted Wood Doves and Crowned Hornbills to Joyful Greenbuls and Beautiful Sunbirds, this collection provides access to the sounds of over 500 species.

Almost 500 recordings from the late 1960s to 1974 have been digitised, edited, catalogued and made available. These represent the earliest recordings made by Gregory and cover well known locations such as Lake Naivasha, Shimba Hills National Reserve and Mount Elgon National Park. In addition to these birding hotspots, Gregory also recorded the songs and calls of birds found in and around his hometown of Nairobi.

The collection represents one of the most comprehensive and largest personal archives of wildlife sound recordings from East Africa. But what of the man? Who was A.R. Gregory and how did he come to develop such a collection? Sadly not much is known. From correspondence with relatives we know that Gregory was a noted ornithologist, based in Nairobi, who helped found the now multinational tour and travel company Abercrombie and Kent. Many recording trips were made with fellow wildlife sound recordist Roland McVicker, whose recordings can also be found at the British Library. Listening to recordings from both Gregory and McVicker is tinged with poignancy though, for many of their favourite birding areas in highland Kenya have since been destroyed through slash and burn agricultural techniques. The birds that once frequented these locations have long since vanished, leaving gaps in the sonic tapestry of the landscape that can be filled, to some degree, by field recordings but never truly replaced. In these cases, sound recordings become an increasingly important and evocative method of documenting and preserving the sounds of a changed landscape.

Roy Gregory’s deep-rooted love for ornithology and sound recording are clearly evident when browsing his collection. He continued recording the birds he loved until a couple of years before his death in 1995. His archive is extensive, both in breadth and depth, and represents almost 50% of Kenya’s total birdlife. Now, for the first time, these recordings reach beyond the walls of the British Library and are available to anybody who would like to listen.

Publication of this collection was supported, in part, by funds from the Wildlife Sound Trust (UK Registered Charity 295776).